Background¶

What makes a hero? Is their desire to stand up for the innocent and protect others somehow innate? Are they born knowing that tyrants must fall? Does a higher power instill the idea that sometimes those least deserving of compassion are those who need it most?

No. A hero's life experience and background make them what they are. That background starts with the culture in which a hero was raised, and is threaded through the career that led them to a life of adventuring.

Culture¶

A hero's culture describes the beliefs, customs, values, and way of life held by the community in which they were raised. This community provides life experiences that give a character some of their game statistics. Even if a hero doesn't share their culture's values, those values shaped their early development and way of life. In fact, some people become heroes primarily from the rejection of the ways of their culture.

For our purposes, a hero's culture represents people, not a place. Yes, you might have grown up in the great city of Capital, but your culture is more specific than that. One hero's culture might be House Alvaro, a noble house in Capital where they were raised. Another's culture could be a group or organization that moves around, such as a band of pirates or a secret order of sorcerers sworn to protect books of fell magic. It helps to get specific when thinking about your culture, and working with the four aspects of a culture can help you do that: language, environment, organization, and upbringing.

Using Culture¶

Directors can use the rules in this section to build cultures that players can choose for their characters. Players can use these rules to build a unique culture or modify an existing culture for their character, working with the Director to find the right place for that culture within the world of the campaign.

In many worlds, at least some cultures have a majority ancestry. The people of Bedegar, a duchy in the region of Vasloria on Orden, are mostly humans. The folk dwelling in the Great Wode, a forest realm north of Bedegar, are primarily wode elves. However, you can always choose to be from one of these cultures and take a different ancestry. A dwarf raised in the culture of the Great Wode speaks Yllyric and probably knows a lot about nature, while a dwarf raised in the dwarf thanedom of Kal Kalavar speaks Zaliac and might know a good deal about smithing.

You can build your culture one aspect at a time, or you can use the following tables if you want to assess sample cultures or make your own culture quickly. To create an archetypical culture for a hero who grew up surrounded mostly by other members of their ancestry, use or modify the aspect options on the Typical Ancestry Cultures table. (Revenants are missing from this table because they don't gain their ancestry until after they die.) If you'd rather quickly create a culture based on a cultural archetype, such as a noble house or a pirate crew, use the Archetypical Cultures table, then add a language that fits the culture's concept.

Typical Ancestry Cultures Table¶

Ancestry	Language	Environment	Organization	Upbringing
Devil	Anjali	Urban	Bureaucratic	Academic
Dragon knight	Vastariax	Secluded	Bureaucratic	Martial
Dwarf	Zaliac	Secluded	Bureaucratic	Creative
Wode elf	Yllyric	Wilderness	Bureaucratic	Martial
High elf	Hyrallic	Secluded	Bureaucratic	Martial
Hakaan	Vhoric	Rural	Communal	Labor
Human	Vaslorian	Urban	Communal	Labor
Memonek	Axiomatic	Nomadic	Communal	Academic
Orc	Kalliak	Wilderness	Communal	Creative
Polder	Khoursirian	Urban	Communal	Creative
Time raider	Voll	Nomadic	Communal	Martial

Archetypical Cultures Table¶

Community	Environment	Organization	Upbringing
Artisan guild	Urban	Bureaucratic	Creative
Borderland homestead	Wilderness	Communal	Labor
College conclave	Urban	Bureaucratic	Academic
Criminal gang	Urban	Communal	Lawless
Farming village	Rural	Bureaucratic	Labor
Herding community	Nomadic	Communal	Labor
Knightly order	Secluded	Bureaucratic	Martial
Laborer neighborhood	Urban	Communal	Labor
Mercenary band	Nomadic	Bureaucratic	Martial
Merchant caravan	Nomadic	Bureaucratic	Creative
Monastic order	Secluded	Bureaucratic	Academic
Noble house	Urban	Bureaucratic	Noble
Outlaw band	Wilderness	Communal	Lawless
Pirate crew	Nomadic	Communal	Lawless
Telepathic hive	Secluded	Communal	Creative
Traveling entertainers	Nomadic	Communal	Creative

Why Build a Culture?¶

Building a character is about more than adding up your stats, picking skills and abilities, and recording that information on a character sheet. You're building a hero—a main character in a story, be it a one-shot or a heroic campaign. Think about the personality and the past of who you are creating. That's why the game lets you build a culture rather than simply saying, "Pick three skills and a bonus language." We want players to imagine their heroes as complex and intricate characters.

Culture Benefits¶

The culture you choose or create grants you the following benefits:

You know the language of your culture, in addition to knowing Caelian.
From the environment, organization, and upbringing aspects of your culture, you gain access to skills. You can select one skill from each aspect's list of options. (Skills in Chapter 9: Tests has information on the part skills play in the game.)
You gain an edge on tests made to recall lore about your culture, and on tests made to influence and interact with people of your culture. (See Edges and Banes in Chapter 1: The Basics.)

Language¶

Your culture's language aspect determines how the people of your culture communicate. Languages in Orden below discusses the many languages of the world of Orden, including Caelian—the language of the fallen empire that once dominated that world.

Environment¶

Your culture's environment aspect describes where the people of that culture spend most of their time. Is your culture centered in a bustling city or a small village? Did you spend your early life in an isolated monastery? Or did you wander the wilderness, never staying in one place for long?

When you build a culture, select its environment aspect from the following options: nomadic, rural, secluded, urban, or wilderness. You gain skill options from your chosen environment. All of these environments can be found in any sort of terrain, whether aboveground, in subterranean caverns, deep in trackless forest, or even underwater.

Nomadic¶

A nomadic culture travels from place to place to survive. Members of a nomadic culture might follow animal migrations or the weather, travel to sell their wares or services, or simply enjoy a restless lifestyle full of new experiences and peoples. Those who grow up in nomadic cultures learn to navigate the wilderness and work closely with others to survive.

Skill Options: One skill from the exploration or interpersonal skill groups. (Quick Build: Navigate.)

Rural¶

A rural culture is one located in a town, village, or smaller settled enclave. People dwelling in such places often cultivate the land, trade goods or services with travelers passing through, harvest fish from the sea, or mine metals and gems from the earth.

Living among a small population, most folks in a rural community learn a trade and are handed down bits of essential knowledge to help their community survive. For example, when a rural culture has only one blacksmith, it's important to have an apprentice already learning at the anvil well before that smith starts to get old. If the only priest in town

gets the sniffles, folks want an acolyte ready to wear the fancy robes should the worst occur.

Skill Options: One skill from the crafting or lore skill groups. (Quick Build: Nature.)

Secluded¶

A secluded culture is based in one relatively close-quarters structure—a building, a cavern, and so forth—and interacts with other cultures only rarely. Such places are often buildings or complexes such as monasteries, castles, or prisons. Folk in a secluded culture have little or no reason to leave their home or interact with other cultures on the outside, but might have an awareness of those cultures and of events happening beyond their enclave.

When people live together in close quarters, they typically learn to get along. They often spend much time in study or introspection, as there is not much else to do in seclusion.

Skill Options: One skill from the interpersonal or lore skill groups. (Quick Build: Read Person.)

Urban¶

An urban culture is always centered in a city. Such a culture might arise within the walls of Capital, a massive metropolis with a cosmopolitan population; within a network of caverns that hold an underground city; or in any other place where a large population lives relatively close together. The people of urban cultures often learn to effectively misdirect others in order to navigate the crowds and the political machinations that can come with city life.

Skill Options: One skill from the interpersonal or intrigue skill groups. (Quick Build: Alertness.)

Wilderness¶

A wilderness culture doesn't try to tame the terrain in which its people live, whether desert, forest, swamp, tundra, ocean, or more exotic climes. Instead, the folk of such a culture thrive amid nature, taking their sustenance and shelter from the land. A wilderness culture might be a circle of druids protecting a remote wode, a band of brigands hiding out in desert caves, or a camp of orc mercenaries who call the trackless mountains home. People in a wilderness culture learn how to use the land for all they need to live, typically crafting their own tools, clothing, and more.

Skill Options: One skill from the crafting or exploration skill groups. (Quick Build: Endurance.)

Organization¶

Your culture's organization aspect determines the functioning and leadership of your community. You might come from a place with an officially recognized government and a system of laws. Or your culture might have enjoyed a less-formal organization, with the people in charge having naturally gravitated toward their positions without any official offices or oaths.

When you build a culture, select its organization aspect from the following options: bureaucratic or communal. You gain skill options from your chosen system of organization.

Bureaucratic¶

Bureaucratic cultures are steeped in official leadership and formally recorded laws. Members of such a culture are often ranked in power according to those laws, with a small group of people holding the power to rule according to birthright, popular vote, or some other official and measurable standard. Many bureaucratic communities

have one person at the top, though others might be ruled by a council. A trade guild with a guildmaster, treasurer, secretary, and a charter of rules and regulations for membership; a feudal lord who rules over a group of knights who in turn rule over peasants working the land; and a militaristic society with ranks and rules that its people must abide are all examples of bureaucratic cultures.

Those who thrive in bureaucratic cultures don't simply follow the rules. They know how to use those rules to their advantage, either bending, changing, or reinterpreting policy to advance their own interests. Schmoozing with those who make the laws is often key to this approach. Others in a bureaucratic culture might specialize in operating outside the strict regulations that govern the culture without getting caught.

Skill Options: One skill from the interpersonal or intrigue skill groups. (Quick Build: Persuade.)

Communal¶

A communal culture is a place where all members of the culture are considered equal. The community works together to make important decisions that affect the majority of the culture. While they elect leaders to carry out these decisions and organize their efforts, each person has a relatively equal say in how the culture operates, and everyone contributes to help their people survive and thrive. Individuals often share the burdens of governing, physical labor, childcare, and other duties. A collective of farmers who work together to cultivate and protect their land without a noble, a city of pirates where each person can do as they wish, and a traveling theatrical troupe whose members vote on every artistic and administrative decision are all communal cultures.

Many communal cultures operate outside settled lands, sticking to the wilds, a specific district in a larger settlement, city sewers, forgotten ruins, or other isolated places. For even when such cultures are harmless, their members know that outsiders might try to impose rules upon them if they live in the same place. As such, many folks in communal cultures focus on fending for themselves while avoiding the danger that other groups can represent.

Skill Options: One skill from the crafting or exploration skill groups. (Quick Build: Jump.)

Upbringing¶

Your culture's upbringing aspect is a more specific and personal part of your hero's story, describing how you were raised within your culture. Were you trained to become the newest archmage in a secret order of wizards, or to be a sword-wielding bodyguard who protected that arcane organization? Did you learn to delve deep into mines looking for ore in a mountain kingdom, or did you build machines meant to dig faster and deeper than any person could alone? Whatever your culture, your upbringing makes you special within that culture.

Pick your upbringing aspect from the following list: academic, creative, labor, lawless, martial, or noble. You gain skill options from your chosen aspect.

Academic¶

Your hero was raised by people who collect, study, and share books and other records. Some academics focus on one area of study, such as a college for wizards dedicated to the study of magic, or a church that teaches the word of one deity. People in an academic culture learn how to wield the power that is knowledge.

Skill Options: One skill from the lore skill group. (Quick Build: History.)

Creative¶

A hero with a creative upbringing was raised among folk who create art or other works valuable enough to trade. A creative culture might produce fine art such as dance, music, or sculpture, or more practical wares such as wagons, weapons, tools, or buildings. People in such cultures learn the value of quality crafting and attention to detail.

Skill Options: The Music or Perform skill (from the interpersonal skill group), or one skill from the crafting group. (Quick Build: Perform.)

Labor¶

Your hero came of age in a culture where people labored for a living. They might have been cultivators, typically raising crops or livestock on a farm. They might have harvested natural resources, whether by hunting, trapping, logging, or mining. Or they might have excelled at manual labor tied to settlement and trade, such as construction, carting, loading cargo, and so forth. People with a labor upbringing know the value of hard work.

Skill Options: The Blacksmithing skill (from the crafting skill group), the Handle Animals skill (from the interpersonal group), or a skill from the exploration group. (Quick Build: Lift.)

Lawless¶

Your hero grew up among folk who performed activities that other people—whether within or outside their culture—considered unlawful. A band of pirates, a guild of assassins, or an organization of spies all commit unlawful acts for money. And under tyranny, people engaged in rebellion are often considered lawless in their actions and activities. People brought up in a lawless culture typically don't mind breaking the rules when it suits them—and are good at making sure no one finds out they did.

Skill Options: One skill from the intrigue skill group. (Quick Build: Sneak.)

Martial¶

A hero with a martial upbringing was raised by warriors. These might have been the soldiers of an established army, a band of mercenaries, a guild of monster-slaying adventurers, or any other folk whose lives revolve around combat. Heroes with a martial upbringing are always ready for a fight—and they know how to finish that fight.

Skill Options: One of the following: Blacksmithing or Fletching from the crafting skill group; Climb, Endurance, or Ride from the exploration group; Intimidate from the interpersonal group; Alertness or Track from the intrigue group; or Monsters or Strategy from the lore skill group (Quick Build: Intimidate.)

Noble¶

Your hero grew up among leaders who rule over others and play the games of politics to maintain power. Many families are nobles by birthright, but some cultures have noble titles earned through deeds or popularity. Whatever the case, heroes with this background understand why the whispered words in the right ear can sometimes be more powerful than any army.

Skill Options: One skill from the interpersonal skill group. (Quick Build: Lead.)

But I Really Want Alertness

If the culture you create doesn't grant a skill that you want, check with your Director about modifying what the culture's aspects offer. For instance, you can easily make the case that a culture with the noble upbringing aspect should give a character access to the Alertness skill, given that living among those who covet your power means always being aware of your surroundings.

Languages in Orden¶

The languages granted by your hero's culture shape their understanding of the world and their relationship to the creatures within it. The following section details the languages of Orden, the baseline world of the game, but the Director can use these languages in their own campaign world or can swap this list with their own list of languages.

If your hero knows a language, they can speak, read, write, and understand it.

Caelian Empire¶

The Caelian Empire dominated five of the eight regions of Orden 3,000 years ago. During the height of this most recent human empire, all humans (including folks from Vanigar in the far north, but not folks from the islands of Ix). learned to speak the Caelian tongue. For many, especially the noble classes and the well-to-do, Caelian effectively replaced their native language.

Some 1,300 years after the fall of the Caelian Empire, the languages of the different regions of the empire are enjoying a resurgence. Still, the Caelian tongue is spoken by most humans in most regions to one extent or another.

Most people in Orden can speak and understand some Caelian, simply because the empire was so powerful and so widespread. Anyone trading with the empire or living near its borders or under its influence eventually learned to speak Caelian, including dwarves, dragon knights, elves, hakaan, orcs, polders, lizardfolk, and goblins. If a person speaks more than one language in Orden, the second language is almost always Caelian. All player characters know Caelian! As a result, that language of empire is now colloquially referred to as "the common tongue"—the language that most folk of Orden have in common.

Extant Languages¶

Folk have been speaking, signing, and writing in Orden for at least thirty thousand years, but most of the world's ancient languages are now dead. Many have been forgotten. Others were spoken by peoples who never developed writing, preventing those languages from being preserved. And many languages that were preserved in writing left no related descendants, so that no one now knows what sounds that writing represented.

The languages on the Vaslorian Languages by Ancestry table are the most common languages in that region, actively spoken and signed by significant populations of people. The Vaslorian Human Languages table shows the dominant languages in that region's human-centric territories. Most languages are associated with a specific ancestry and its culture, but being a member of an ancestry doesn't automatically make you part of the associated culture the language is tied to. For example, if your orc hero was raised in a culture of elves, you probably speak one of the elf languages, and might never have learned Kalliak.

Most languages have colloquial or casual names. For instance, many people in Orden call Kalliak "Orcish" and Hyrallic "Elvish," but any sage knows there are lots of orcish and elf languages, just as there are multiple human languages.

Each extant language has a spoken, signed, and written version. When you learn a language, you know how to speak, sign, and read it.

Vaslorian Human Languages Table¶

Region	Language
The Gol	Uvalic
Higara	Higaran
Ix	Oaxuatl
Khemhara	Khemharic
Koursir	Khoursirian
Phaedros	Phaedran
Rioja	Riojan
Vanigar	Vaniric
Vasloria	Vaslorian

Languages by Ancestry Table¶

Language	Ancestry	Notes
Anjali	Devils, hobgoblins	Language of contract law
Axiomatic	Memonek	Native language of Axiom, and the common language of the timescape by trade
Caelian	Orden denizens	Common language of Orden
Filliaric	Angulotls
The First Language	Elder dragons	Language of magic
Hyrallic	High elves	Language of interspecies diplomacy
Illyvric	Shadow elves
Kalliak	Orcs	Offshoot of Zaliac
Kethaic	Kobolds	Patois of Vastariax and Caelian
Khelt	Bugbears, fey	Offshoot of Kheltivari
Khoursirian	Polder, humans	Distant offshoot of Khamish
High Kuric	Bredbeddles, giants, ogres, trolls
Low Kuric	Elementals
Mindspeech	Voiceless talkers	A symbolic language shared among native telepaths
Proto-Ctholl	Lower demons	Incomplete precursor of Tholl
Szetch	Goblins, radenwights
Tholl	Higher demons, gnolls
Urollialic	Olothec
Variac	Olothec, trolls, voiceless talkers	Common language of the World Below
Vastariax	Dragons, dragon knights
Vhoric	Hakaan	Offshoot of the stone giant dialect of High Kuric
Voll	Time raiders
Yllyric	Wode elves	Language of druids
Za'hariax	Overminds
Zaliac	Dwarves	Language of engineering

Language Usage¶

Hyrallic is the primary language of the high elves in Orden. Although young for an elf language, Hyrallic is older than almost all other modern cultural languages, save those of the dwarves. As a result, while anyone who lives near or trades with a human culture probably speaks at least a little Caelian, most nobles across all ancestries make sure their children or offspring speak Hyrallic. Caelian is new from many cultures' point of view, while Hyrallic as a language for diplomacy is considered cultured and traditional.

Yllyric is the cultural language of wode elves, and also the common language among those who defend and protect the natural forests of Orden.

Within any document concerning the workings of machines, masonry, or geology, you are likely to find a healthy supply of jargon using Zaliac, the most popular dwarf language. Even when such texts aren't fully written in Zaliac, they use a lot of dwarf language when describing esoteric, complex ideas.

Just as Zaliac is used in engineering, contract law isn't written purely in Anjali, the dominant language of the Seven Cities of Hell. But a lot of the legal jargon in any contract, as well as some of the language of trial courts, features many Anjali words. People are sticklers for detail in the Seven Cities, and this makes their language popular among lawyers.

In the same way that intelligent creatures in Orden who live near or trade with other cultures use Caelian as a common language, the denizens of the World Below, the Dark Under All, often speak Variac, the language of the voiceless talkers.

Dead Languages¶

For an adventuring hero with an ambition to create great works or unlock deep lore, being able to read ancient writing is most useful. Much deep lore is attested only in ancient tomes and scrolls written in languages that no modern culture uses.

Most of these ancient writings were written by people who expected other people to read it. The lore might have been kept secret by not sharing it with anyone outside the college or cult whose members originally wrote it, but the actual writing was not intended to be difficult to read or understand. It wasn't written in code—just in a language that people stopped speaking long ago.

Sages can reconstruct many of these languages by learning which modern languages descended from them, then comparing them to related languages from the same time period that might have survived. Translating such ancient languages has been extremely useful for crafting and research.

The Dead Languages table shows some of the dead languages of Orden, and the modern languages related to those ancient languages.

Dead Languages Table¶

Language	Ancestry	Related Languages	Common Topics
Ananjali	Old hobgoblin	Anjali	Zodiakol, the bloodmetal
High Rhyvian	Sun elf	Hyrallic, Yllyric	Liannar, the sunmetal
Khamish	Beast lord	Khoursirian	Beast magic
Kheltivari	Old fae	Yllyric, Khelt	Using a wode to travel through time
Low Rhyvian	Sky elf	Hyrallic	Flying castles
Old Variac	Olothec, voiceless talkers	Variac	Kollar, the sinmetal
Phorialtic	Old elemental	Low and High Kuric	Moving between manifolds
Rallarian	Steel dwarf	Zaliac	Valiar, the truemetal
Ullorvic	Star elf	Hyrallic, Yllyric	Rovion, the starmetal

Khamish is still spoken by lizardfolk and other creatures connected to the beast lords. However, the forms spoken today only vaguely resemble their original tongues and have been adapted for use within their speakers' own circles.

Careers¶

Being a hero isn't a job. It's a calling. But before you answered that call, you had a different job or vocation that paid the bills. Thank the gods for that, because the experience you gained in that career is now helping you save lives and slay monsters.

Career Questions¶

The careers in this section don't go into great detail about the actual jobs they represent. We assume that you know the basics of what an artisan, a criminal, or a gladiator does for a living. However, each career includes a list of questions you should think about to help you define the specific details of your hero's career. For instance, if you pick the Artisan career, one of the questions is: "What did you create?"

You don't need to answer these questions, but doing so can help shape a more complete picture of your hero. And if you do answer them, consider telling your Director the answers so they can think about working those details into the game. Directors already have a lot to juggle, but they certainly can't create dramatic moments from your backstory if you never tell them what that backstory is.

Career Benefits¶

Your career describes what your life was before you became a hero. When you select a career, you gain a number of benefits, the details of which are specified in the career's description.

Skills¶

Each career grants you two or three skills, detailed in the Skills section of Chapter 9: Tests.

Languages¶

Some careers allow you to learn extra languages, chosen from those available in Languages in Orden above.

Renown¶

Some careers increase your starting Renown score (from a base score of 0). See Renown in Chapter 13: Rewards for more information.

Wealth¶

Some careers increase your starting Wealth score (from a base score of 1). See Wealth in Chapter 13: Rewards for more information.

Project Points¶

Some careers provide project points you can put toward crafting and research projects (see Chapter 12: Downtime Projects). These project points can be divided among multiple projects, but they can't be used more than once. You must meet the other prerequisites for a project to start it, as usual.

At the Director's discretion, your career might also let you start the game with the materials needed for one or more projects, so you can immediately put your project points toward those projects—possibly before the adventure begins! This is especially useful for characters who are going on only one adventure. Otherwise, you can hold onto the points and spend them once you do start a project.

Perk¶

Your career provides you with a specific type of perk—a special feature that lets you customize your character, with a focus outside of combat. See Chapter 7: Perks for more information.

Inciting Incident¶

Each career has a list of inciting incidents, each of which suggests a potential reason why you gave up your career, turned away from a possibly comfortable and reliable living, and took up the sword (or axe or wand) to become an adventuring hero. Each inciting incident represents a life-changing event that might have motivated you to change course, becoming a person who risks it all to save others.

You can roll for or choose an inciting incident from the table that accompanies each career. You can also use your career's table (or another career's table) as inspiration as you work with your Director to come up with a unique inciting incident of your own.

What Was Taken From You?¶

During your inciting incident, something was taken from you. It might have been a material object, such as an heirloom sword or a locket that proves your royal heritage. Perhaps a person you loved was killed, kidnapped, or cursed. It might be something deeper and more abstract, such as a chance for happiness, belief in the future, belief in basic goodness, or a lifetime goal snatched away.

It might be the case that you're obsessed with getting back what you lost. You might be in a position where you'll never recover what was taken from you, but you want to prevent that same loss from happening to others. Perhaps your loss left you in a position where helping others is the only thing that gives your life meaning. Whatever the case, the loss you've suffered is part of what drives you to be a hero. Record what was taken from you on your character sheet, and let your Director know.

Careers A to Z¶

The careers your character can select from are presented in alphabetical order.

Agent¶

You worked as a spy for a government or organization. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

Who did you work for?
Who did you spy on?
Who shouldn't know your true identity and allegiance but does?
Who did you burn or leave behind to get a job done?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: The Sneak skill from the intrigue skill group, plus one skill from the interpersonal group and one other skill from the intrigue group (Quick Build: Disguise, Lie, Sneak.)

Languages: Two languages

Perk: One intrigue perk (Quick Build: Forgettable Face.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Disavowed: While on a dangerous espionage assignment, things went sideways. Although you escaped with your life, the mission was a public failure thanks to bad information your agency gave you. They denied you work for them, and you went on the run. Hero work will let you survive and clear your name.
2	Faceless: Your identity was always hidden. It was your way of protecting those around you because the work you did spying on powerful entities came with dangers. Then your world came crashing down when an enemy agent unmasked you, causing you to lose everything—your privacy, livelihood, loved ones, all gone in the blink of an eye. Instead of going into hiding, you became a public hero to protect the innocent in the name of those you lost.
3	Free Agent: There was a time in your life when you used to sell information to the highest bidder. Your acts were unsanctioned by any one organization, but you were well-connected enough to trade in secrets. Politics never mattered much to you until the information you sold wound up causing a ripple effect of harm that eventually destroyed the place you once called home. You became a hero to make up for your past.
4	Informed: After years of cultivating a rich list of informants, one of those informants risked everything to expose the heinous plans of powerful individuals. You promised to protect your informant, but your agency left them hanging—literally. You cut ties with your employer and swore to always make good on your word as a hero.
5	Spies and Lovers: While embedded in an undercover assignment, you fell for someone on the other side. They discovered you were a double agent, and though you insisted your feelings were real, the deceit cut too deep for your love interest to ignore. They exposed you, spurned you, or died because of their closeness to you. You left the espionage business to become a hero with nothing to hide.
6	Turncoat: You spent your life in service of your country or an organization that upheld your values. During your undercover operations, you discovered that everything you had been told was a lie. Whether you confronted your superiors or were exposed, you were stripped of your service medals before you left to become a true hero.

Aristocrat¶

Career? Who needs a career when you're born into money! Or marry into it! Or con your way into it! Whatever the case, you didn't need to work thanks to (someone's) generational wealth. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

How did you become an aristocrat?
What did you do to fill your days?
Which aristocrats and people who worked for you were your best friends and greatest enemies?
What sentimental heirloom from your old estate do you carry, and what does it mean to you?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: One skill from the interpersonal skill group and one skill from the lore group (Quick Build: Brag, Society.)

Languages: One language

Renown: +1

Wealth: +1

Perk: One lore perk (Quick Build: I've Read About This Place.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Blood Money: When you entered adulthood, you heard unsavory whispers about your family's fortune before learning that their wealth came at the cost of others' suffering. Whether you shed light on the secret or not, you left to become a hero stripped of noble title.
2	Charmed Life: Whether through some supernatural power or your innate persuasiveness, you were able to defraud other aristocrats. You did it for fun. And when you were found out, you lost your status. Whether you served time or escaped punishment, you decided to rehabilitate yourself and became a hero.
3	Inheritance: The guardians who instilled in you the virtues of doing the right thing were murdered in a senseless petty robbery. Though their wealth was bequeathed to you, it did little to assuage the guilt you felt for being unable to stop the deadly crime. You decided to use your riches to fund your life as a hero, whether publicly or using an alter ego.
4	Privileged Position: Life outside the manor never piqued your interest. You had everything you wanted. It thus came as a surprise when the peasants came to overthrow your family. You narrowly escaped, and for the first time witnessed the world. It caused you to become a hero for the people, fighting against inequities.
5	Royal Pauper: Seeking a break from noble duties, you sought a lookalike to switch identities with. It went so well that you made a habit of switching whenever you were bored. Unfortunately, your counterpart became so good at imitating you that they convinced all those around you that you were an impostor. You lost contact with your family, but now pursue a heroic path free of the pomp of your old life.
6	Wicked Secret: One parent passed away when you were a baby and the other remarried years later. Then that parent died under suspicious circumstances. Their spouse ousted you, and you were banished (and possibly hunted). Rising from tragedy, you now seek to right the wrongs of the world.

Artisan¶

You made and sold useful wares. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

What did you create?
Who taught you your craft?
Was there any particular creation you were known for?
Did you have a shop, or did you travel to sell your wares?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: Two skills from the crafting skill group (Quick Build: Blacksmithing, Carpentry.)

Languages: One language

Project Points: 240

Perk: One crafting perk (Quick Build: Area of Expertise.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Continue the Work: A great hero was a fan of the things you created and gave you a generous commission to create your best work for them. While working on this commission, you and the hero became close friends. The day you finished the work was the same day they disappeared. To honor their legacy, you took up the mantle of a hero with the intent of finishing your friend's work.
2	Inspired: As you traveled the road selling your wares, troll bandits attacked you. One of the bandits claimed an item belonging to someone precious to you—or perhaps claimed that person's life—but the rest were driven off or slain by a group of heroes. Seeing the quick work those heroes made of the bandits inspired you to follow in their footsteps.
3	Robbery: A criminal gang stole your goods and harmed a number of people who worked for you. You became a hero to prevent such indignities from being visited upon others, to seek revenge for the assault, or to find the thieves and get your stuff back.
4	Stolen Passions: Your parents discouraged your artistic talents, instead trying to focus your passions on the family business. You refused to dim your spark and continued your work in secret. Enraged at discovering your disobedience, they sold your work to a traveling merchant. You left your hometown, seeking your lost art and encouraging others to live freely.
5	Tarnished Honor: A new patron commissioned some art, but on completion, they refused to pay you and claimed the work as their own. You were accused of plagiarism and run out of town. For you, heroics are about restoring your name and honor.
6	Twisted Skill: You had great success that caused an unscrupulous rival to curse you. For a time, everything you tried to create turned to ruin. You broke the curse through adventuring, and in doing so, discovered a new joy and purpose that now defines you.

Beggar¶

You lived by going to a tavern, crossroads, city street, or other busy area and begging passersby for money or food. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

What unfortunate circumstances led you to become a beggar?
Where did you beg?
Who made sport out of bullying you?
Who showed you the most kindness?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: The Rumors skill (from the lore skill group), plus one skill from the exploration group and one skill from the interpersonal group (Quick Build: Empathize, Endurance, Rumors.)

Languages: Two languages

Perk: One interpersonal perk (Quick Build: Spot the Tell.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Champion: You were never content with your lot. Watching yet another friend fall to preventable circumstances was your last straw. You gathered up what little you had and set off to become a hero, determined to make real change for those society forgot.
2	Night Terrors: Something killed the other beggars. It came in the night. You barely saw it, but what you did see of it wasn't natural. You survived by hiding, or perhaps it simply passed you over for reasons unknown to you. It still haunts your nightmares, and you kill monsters so no one else has to experience such horrors.
3	One Good Deed: You ran afoul of the local watch by being in the wrong place when they were in a bad mood. A passing hero intervened on your behalf, shaming the guards into moving on, then gave you enough gold to get you back on your feet. Their kindness kindled a spark in you. You took the gold, bought some secondhand gear, and went to pay that hero's kindness forward.
4	Precious: No matter how far you'd fallen, there was one belonging you would never part with, no matter how much money it would bring you. When a pickpocket stole that object, you chased them until you were in a part of the city you no longer recognized. With a jolt, you realized you had no desire to return to your previous stomping grounds. You kept going, and you haven't looked back.
5	Strange Charity: A passerby dropped something in your cup. When you counted your day's collections, you found a magic coin among the coppers. You knew immediately that it was special. When the other beggars—your friends, you thought—showed that they were ready to murder you for it, you killed several of them in self-defense before you fled, leaving behind the only semblance of community you had.
6	Witness: You witnessed something you weren't meant to. Others would kill you if they knew, and they might be searching for you even now. You remain on the move, terrified of remaining in one place too long lest it all catch up to you. Perhaps if you make a big enough name for yourself, you can become untouchable and finally speak of what happened without fear.

Criminal¶

You once worked as a bandit, insurgent, smuggler, outlaw, or even as an assassin. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

What crimes did you commit, and why?
Did anyone help you perform your illicit activities?
What is one crime you botched?
Who was your nemesis while you were a criminal?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: The Criminal Underworld skill (from the lore skill group), plus two skills from the intrigue group (Quick Build: Criminal Underworld, Pick Lock, Pick Pocket.)

Languages: One language

Project Points: 120

Perk: One intrigue perk (Quick Build: Criminal Contacts.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Antiquity Procurement: You stole, smuggled, and sold antiquities. In your haste to make a quick sale, you didn't fully vet a client and they subsequently robbed your warehouse. When the items you had stolen were taken from you, you realized the harm you had caused. Now you adventure to find those items you lost and return them to where they belong.
2	Atonement: The last criminal job you pulled led to the death of someone or the destruction of something you love. To make up for the loss you caused, you left your criminal ways behind and became a hero.
3	Friendly Priest: You went to prison for your crimes and eventually escaped. An elderly priest took you in and shielded you from the law, convinced that your soul wasn't corrupt. They never judged you for your past, speaking only of the future. Eventually, the priest died, imparting final words that inspired you to become a hero.
4	Shadowed Influence: You spent years blackmailing and manipulating nobles for influence and wealth until a scheme went wrong. You were publicly exposed, and after a narrow escape, you reevaluated your life. Under a new identity, you work as a hero and hope no one looks at your past too closely.
5	Simply Survival: Stealing was a matter of survival for you and not what defined you—at least in your mind. But when your thieving actions led to innocent folk being harmed, you knew you could be better. You turned your back on your old life, though your old skills still come in handy.
6	Stand Against Tyranny: When a tyrant rose to power in your homeland, they began cracking down on all criminals with deadly raids and public executions. The nature of the crime didn't matter, with pickpockets and beggars made to kneel before the axe alongside murderers. After losing enough friends, you stood up and joined the resistance—not just against this tyrant, but against authoritarians anywhere.

Disciple¶

You worked in a church, temple, or other religious institution as part of the clergy. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

What gods or saints did your institution venerate?
What initiation rites did you undergo to get the job?
What were your responsibilities as a disciple?
How was your institution viewed by members of the local culture?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: The Religion skill (from the lore skill group), plus two more skills from the lore group (Quick Build: Culture, Magic, Religion.)

Project Points: 240

Perk: One supernatural perk (Quick Build: Ritualist.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Angel's Advocate: Swayed by an evil faith, your cult was about to unleash horrors upon the world when an angel (figurative or literal) intervened. They convinced you to stop your cult's plots. Now you follow in the footsteps of the angel who showed you the righteous path.
2	Dogma: Although you joined your religious institution under the guidance of a kind mentor, others within the house of worship became increasingly fanatical in their convictions. Your mentor sought to be a voice of reason in the rising tide of hatred and was tried as a heretic before being executed. Leaving the institution behind, you became a hero to uphold the beliefs you hold dear.
3	Freedom to Worship: Your temple was destroyed in a religious conflict. The institution's leaders sought retaliation, but you saw in these actions a ceaseless cycle of destruction that would lead to more conflict. Instead, you became a hero to protect religious freedoms, so all worshippers might practice their faith without fear.
4	Lost Faith: You devoted your life to ministering to the sick and needy, alongside other charitable work. Time and time again, tragedy struck those you served without rhyme or reason. Your prayers went unanswered, and your efforts went thankless. Eventually, you lost your faith in a higher power, and you left your church or temple to do good outside of any religious affiliation.
5	Near-Death Experience: While serving at a religious institution, you almost died in an accident. When you woke, you had lost all memory of ever having worked for the church or temple. Though the clergy encouraged you to stay, you left to forge a new path. Your sense of altruism—whether instilled in you by your past work or a part of who you naturally are—guides you in your life.
6	Taxing Times: The faith-based organization you were once part of became corrupt. It used its status in the community to accumulate wealth through tithes, while its leaders sought political appointments. During a season of drought, the institution stockpiled resources and refused to give aid, resulting in the deaths of many. You became a hero to fight against such corruption and to honor those you lost.

Explorer¶

You ventured into uncharted areas and made your living as a cartographer, researcher, resource seeker, or treasure hunter. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

For what purpose did you explore the unknown?
Who else was part of your exploration team?
What types of environments did you explore?
What legend or rumor did you search for but never found?
What is your greatest discovery?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: The Navigate skill (from the exploration skill group), plus two more skills from the exploration group (Quick Build: Climb, Heal, Navigate.)

Languages: Two languages

Perk: One exploration perk (Quick Build: Wood Wise.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Awakening: In an uncharted area, you awakened some fell horror. You subsequently turned to the life of a hero to put an end to the dread you unleashed and keep other hidden dangers at bay.
2	Missing Piece: You made an important but dangerous discovery about a treasure or ancient ritual that could spell mass destruction. Then the unthinkable happened when an unscrupulous colleague, spy, or treasure hunter stole your research notes. You're looking for the thief now, and anyone else who might use such discoveries for ill.
3	Nothing Belongs in a Museum: Exploring distant lands to collect valuable artifacts for cultural institutions was once your way of life. But when people died trying to reclaim one of the objects you took, you realized the truth. Your work was part of a larger problem of cultural theft, and the best place for these significant objects wasn't in a museum but with the people who created them. Setting out to return what had been taken and to protect others from theft set you on the path to become a hero.
4	Unschooled: You delved into dungeons and far-off places by studying them in books. You were an explorer who never felt the need to experience the dangers your peers did. Then your theory about a lost world cost you your reputation, and gave you the impetus to go on adventures and stand up for those with different ideas.
5	Wanderlust: You saw yourself as an observer and operated within a code of conduct. You swore to never interfere with a group by exposing them to your technology, knowledge, or values. But when faced with a moral conundrum, you either broke your code or stood idly by—and suffered the consequences. During this incident, you lost your observation journal but became a hero who refuses to let evil stand unchecked.
6	Wind in Your Sails: As a seafaring explorer, you lived to chart unknown courses. Though travel on the high seas was fraught with danger, the destination was always rewarding in riches, knowledge, or some other meaningful benefit. But your luck ran out when your ship was destroyed by pirates or other enemy forces. Now you've taken to protecting those who seek safe passage while also hoping to avenge your crew.

Farmer¶

You grew crops or cared for livestock. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

Did you own the land you farmed, or did you farm for another?
What crops or livestock did you cultivate?
Who else worked on the farm with you?
What ill omen did you witness that caused you to have a poor season of farming?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: The Handle Animals skill (from the interpersonal skill group), plus two skills from the exploration group (Quick Build: Drive, Handle Animals, Lift.)

Languages: One language

Project Points: 120

Perk: One exploration perk (Quick Build: Monster Whisperer.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Blight: A horrible blight swept over your homeland, sickening the livestock and causing crops to rot. No one knows whether the blight is of natural origin or something more malevolent, but you set out in search of a way to cleanse the land of this affliction.
2	Bored: You've always wanted so much more than gathering eggs and milking cows. You kept a secret journal of your dreams, filled with all the things you wanted. When your parent found the journal, they burned it and told you to keep your head out of the clouds. In response, you gathered what you could in a pack and left everything else behind, seeking a life of adventure.
3	Cursed: While tilling your fields, you found something in the dirt. Perhaps it was a chipped and dented weapon, a piece of ancient jewelry, or something altogether unique. Excited by your find, you showed it to a loved one, but when they touched it, something happened. You now know it was a curse conveyed by the item, though you don't know why it affected them and not you. You left your old life in search of answers.
4	Hard Times: Your farm had always been prosperous, until the last few years. Changes in the weather caused smaller yields until you could no longer pay your tithe to the local noble. Her soldiers took what items of value they found, including a precious family heirloom. You left the struggling farm behind to find a better life.
5	Razed: Your animals were killed, your crops and home set ablaze. The culprits might have been wandering bandits, raiders from a nearby kingdom, or hired thugs sent by a rival farm. Whoever they were, they left you with nothing. You couldn't face the thought of starting again from scratch, so you took up a life of heroism to protect others from such villainy.
6	Stolen: Your family bred horses—beautiful creatures that few could rival on the track and in the jousting lists. When a local noble arrived with an offer to buy your prized stallion, your father refused. The noble struck him down where he stood and stole the horse. Without that stallion, the renowned bloodline would end. You intend to get them back—and get revenge.

Gladiator¶

In the past, you entertained the masses with flashy displays of violence in the arena. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

What led you to this life of violent entertainment?
What was your gladiator name and persona?
Who was your biggest rival?
What happened during your most famous match?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: Two skills from the exploration skill group (Quick Build: Gymnastics, Jump.)

Languages: One language

Renown: +2

Perk: One exploration perk (Quick Build: Friend Catapult.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Betrayed: A local crime lord offered you money to throw your last bout, promising that you'd live through the ordeal and get a cut of all the wagers placed on the match. You upheld your end of the deal—which made the knife in your back after the bout so surprising. You woke in a shallow grave, barely alive, and ready to mete out justice.
2	Heckler: As you stood victorious on the arena sands, a voice cried out among the cheering. "This violence is only for show. You should be ashamed. There are people who need you—who need your skills!" Why did that voice ring so clear? And why did it sound so familiar? You never saw the face of the person who uttered those words, but they weighed heavy on you. The next day, you fled the arena to begin a hero's life.
3	Joined the Arena: As a child, you loved gladiatorial matches, captivated by the fierce displays of bravery and bravado, never giving much thought to how the competitors ended up in the ring. Then your friend was wrongly accused of a crime and sentenced to compete. You went in their place. After viewing what life was like for those forced to fight, you survived your sentence and resolved to protect the unfairly condemned.
4	New Challenges: You earned every title you could. You beat every opponent willing to face you in the arena. Your final battle with your rival ended with you victorious—and still you were unsatisfied. Other, greater foes are out there. And you mean to find them.
5	Scion's Compassion: You were born a noble, but the duplicitous and power-hungry nature of your family had you seeking your own fortune in the arena. You saw that competitors brought there by circumstance and not choice suffered. You gave all you could of your family money to those lessfortunate folk, and then set out to make a real difference in this cruel world.
6	Warriors' Home: The orphanage you grew up in secretly supplied gladiators to the arena. Forced to fight against many childhood friends as an adult, you vowed to dismantle the arena and free other victims. You became a liberator, dedicated to ending the oppression of others until your dying breath.

Laborer¶

You worked as a farmer, builder, clothes washer, forester, miner, or some other profession engaged in hard manual labor. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

What type of manual labor did you do?
What important friendship did you make on the job?
Where did you go with your coworkers to blow off steam when the job was done?
What aspect of the job was most difficult for you?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: The Endurance skill (from the exploration skill group), plus two skills from either the crafting group or the exploration group (Quick Build: Blacksmithing, Endurance, Lift.)

Languages: One language

Project Points: 120

Perk: One exploration perk (Quick Build: Brawny.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Deep Sentinel: Spending your days cleaning and maintaining the sewers doesn't make you many friends. But you found companionship among the rats. You fought the monsters that hunted your friends, and which others ignored. After making the sewers safe for the rats, you decided to take your talents to the surface and serve other humanoids who might appreciate your efforts in the same way.
2	Disaster: A disaster, such as a cave-in, wildfire, or tidal wave, hit the work crew you were in charge of. You saved as many as you could, but the ones you couldn't save weigh heavily on your mind. You took up the life of a hero to save as many people as possible, vowing that what happened to you then won't happen again.
3	Embarrassment: A noble you worked for admonished you publicly for work done poorly—and more than once. Finally, you'd had enough. You vowed to take up a new path and show this noble you're far more than what they make you out to be.
4	Live the Dream: You worked with a good friend, and on the job, you would always fantasize about what it would be like to hit the road as adventuring heroes … someday. You didn't expect that your friend would fall ill and pass away. Now it's time to live out that dream for both of you.
5	Shining Light: You kept a lighthouse along the constantly stormy cliffs of your village with your mentor. On a clear and sunny day, your mentor vanished. Finding only a cryptic notebook filled with his musings on the supernatural, you left to find out what really happened. The trail has gone cold for now, and you're helping others find their loved ones in the meantime.
6	Slow and Steady: You labored silently as an uncaring boss drove those around you into the ground, pushing you to work harder to lessen the burden on your companions. But when the boss pushed too far and killed a friend of yours, you led an uprising against them. That was the start of your adventuring life.

Mage's Apprentice¶

For long years, you studied magic under the mentorship of a more experienced mage. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

Who did you study under, and what kind of person were they?
What were your mentor's areas of expertise?
What aspects of magic did you struggle to comprehend?
What is your current relationship with your mentor?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: The Magic skill (from the lore skill group), plus two other skills from the lore group (Quick Build: Magic, Monsters, Timescape.)

Languages: One language

Renown: +1

Perk: One supernatural perk (Quick Build: Arcane Trick.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Forgotten Memories: While practicing a spell, your inexperience caused the magic to backfire and your memories were wiped, leaving you with only fragments of who you once were. Determined to recall your past, you now dedicate yourself to helping others, hoping your actions will spark some remembrance or lead you to a way to reverse the magic.
2	Magic of Friendship: As a sign of your status as a star pupil, your mentor gifted you a familiar as a magic pet. Another jealous apprentice captured the familiar and slipped away in the night. Haunted by your pet's absence, you adventure to find your kidnapped friend and prevent others from feeling your loss.
3	Missing Mage: One day you woke up and the mage you worked for was gone. They didn't take any of their belongings and there was no sign of any foul play—only the scent of sulfur in their bedchamber. You set out on your heroic journey in the aftermath and have been looking for them ever since.
4	Nightmares Made Flesh: Your attempts at magic have always been unpredictable. A powerful mage promised to help you gain control. During your training, a terrible nightmare caused your body to flare with magic and pull the monster of your nightmare into the waking world. The horror escaped. You left, seeking to vanquish their vileness.
5	Otherworldly: While studying magic, you accidentally sent yourself from your original world to this one. Now you're stranded here, hoping to find ancient texts or powerful magic treasures that might transport you back home. A life of adventure it is!
6	Ultimate Power: The mage you worked for was a kindly old soul, but the basic magic they taught you always seemed like a small part of something bigger. It wasn't until you met an adventuring elementalist that you realized hitting the road as a hero was the only way to truly improve and hone your skills. You resigned your apprenticeship and found yourself walking the path of a hero the next day.

Performer¶

You can sing, act, or dance well enough that people actually pay you to do it. Imagine that! In defining your career, think about the following questions:

What is the tone of your performances?
What song, role, or dance are you most known for?
Did you perform in the same place throughout your career, or did you travel?
Were you part of a troupe, or were you a solo act?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: The Music or Perform skill (from the interpersonal skill group), plus two more skills from the interpersonal group (Quick Build: Flirt, Music, Perform.)

Renown: +2

Perk: One interpersonal perk (Quick Build: Harmonizer.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Cursed Audience: During a performance, you watched in horror as the audience was suddenly overcome by a curse that caused them to disintegrate before your eyes. You aren't sure what happened, but seeking an answer quickly led you to places where only heroes dare to go.
2	False Accolades: After a poor performance, you found a script to a wellwritten play left in your dressing room. The accompanying note asked that if you performed the play, you should give the author credit. But after a commanding performance, you claimed to be star and playwright both and the curse hidden on those pages activated. A small portion of your skin has begun to transform into undead flesh, and the only cure is to prove you have become selfless.
3	Fame and Fortune: You thought you were famous—then that hero came to your show. Suddenly, all eyes were on the dragon-slaying brute instead of on the stage where they belonged. The audience even gave them a standing ovation when they entered the room. All you got was polite applause. Fine. If people want a hero so much, then a hero you shall be.
4	Songs to the Dead: Your performances have always been tinged with a bit of melancholy. During a particularly soulful performance, spirits disturbed the living audience and sat in their chairs. They begged you to prevent their demise, providing no other details before disappearing. You set out to determine if you could help your most dedicated fans.
5	Speechless: A heckler's mocking words left you utterly speechless during a performance, stinging your pride and stirring your arrogance. The incident strained your legendary voice, and you could speak only in soft whispers. The heckler was a fey trickster who stole your voice, promising to give it back after you accomplished real good in the world.
6	Tragic Lesson: When a producer who once shortchanged you shouted out on the street for you to stop a thief who had picked their pocket, your spite toward them inspired you to let the thief run right on by. But that decision led to tragedy when the thief later harmed someone you loved. From that moment on, you made it your responsibility to protect others.

Politician¶

You worked as a leader within a formal, bureaucratic organization or government. You might have been appointed, born, or elected into your position, but getting people to agree and making decisions for the people you serve (or who served you) was your job. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

Who were you responsible for ruling or representing?
What was your official title and how did you earn it?
Who was your greatest political rival?
What secret do you know that could tear apart the entire system you worked within?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: Two skills from the interpersonal skill group (Quick Build: Lead, Lie.)

Languages: One language

Renown: +1

Wealth: +1

Perk: One interpersonal perk (Quick Build: Engrossing Monologue.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Diplomatic Immunity: Your political power allowed you to be foolish without consequence. Through sheer carelessness or on a dare, you accidentally harmed or killed an innocent bystander. Due to your position as an official, you faced no consequences. But this event was the final straw for the person you loved or respected most, and they turned away from you. You left the world of political machinations behind to earn back their trust.
2	Insurrectionist: You secretly funded a rebel organization intent on overthrowing the corrupt establishment. Someone discovered your treason, and you were forced to flee or risk execution. You became a hero to live and fight another day on behalf of those who have no power.
3	Respected Consul: You were a seneschal to a leader, able to sway their opinions. But gossip convinced the leader you were plotting a coup, and you were ousted from their circle of influence. You became a hero to continue your work making meaningful change in the world.
4	Right Side of History: You tried to work on policy change from the inside of a bureaucratic organization. There were others like you who were more vocal. You started to notice those colleagues were disappearing overnight. Not wanting to find out if you were next on the list, you left to enact change in more direct ways.
5	Self-Serving: You used your skills to collect incriminating or scandalous information about your opponents to blackmail them. A rival got one step ahead of you and stole your book of dirty secrets. But instead of using it against you, they gave you an opportunity to leave the world of politics behind. Saved from public humiliation, you now use your skills for the greater good.
6	Unbound: The red tape required to achieve anything through your political position resulted in a crisis being mishandled and countless people harmed or killed. After that unfortunate event, you resolved to live unfettered by bureaucratic interference, seeking to do good through action, not paperwork.

Sage¶

From an early age, you dedicated yourself to learning, whether you shared the knowledge of the world with others or sought out secret lore only for yourself. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

What subjects did you study?
Where did your studies take place?
How did you acquire the books and other materials you needed for work?
Who benefited most from your research?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: Two skills from the lore skill group (Quick Build: History, Magic.)

Languages: One language

Project Points: 240

Perk: One lore perk (Quick Build: Expert Sage.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Bookish Ideas: You were always content to live a peaceful life in your library, until you found that one book—the one that told the tale of heroes who had saved the timescape. They didn't spend their days behind a desk. They made a real difference. It was time for you to do the same.
2	Cure the Curse: You used to think knowledge could fix everything. You were wrong. When someone you loved fell under a curse, the means to cure them couldn't be found in any of the books you owned. But that wasn't going to stop you. The answers are out there, and you'll find them even if you have to face down death to do so.
3	Lost Library: An evil mage took all your books for themself, cackling at your impotence as they raided your shelves. Now, you're off to search through ancient ruins and secret libraries to rebuild your collection of rare tomes and to find the mage who stole from you.
4	Paper Guilt: While transcribing ancient texts, you and another scribe discovered a shelf of long-forgotten books. At your suggestion, your companion started work on one and vanished along with the tome. Your guilt drove you to seek out your still-missing friend and prevent others from falling to similar dangers.
5	Unforeseen Futures: In your pursuit of ancient knowledge, you discovered a prophecy that has yet to come to pass. And that prophecy involves someone who might be … you. Since your discovery, strange dreams have plagued you, driving you to seek out your destiny.
6	Vanishing: At first you thought it was your imagination, and you brushed off the disappearance of random sentences in historical books. Then as the books changed to entirely blank pages, the disappearances became difficult to ignore, particularly those involving ancient or critical text. Driven by the desire to preserve knowledge, you have made it your purpose to restore and reverse those vanishing texts before they forever disappear.

Sailor¶

You worked on a ship, whether a merchant cog, a mercenary or military craft, or a pirate vessel. You might have been a deckhand, a mate, or even the captain. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

What is the name of the vessel you sailed on, and what type of business was the crew engaged in?
What was your job aboard the ship?
What's the longest amount of time you've spent at sea?
Who or what did you lose on your maritime journeys?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: Swim (from the exploration skill group), plus two more skills from the exploration group (Quick Build: Climb, Gymnastics, Swim.)

Languages: Two languages

Perk: One exploration perk (Quick Build: Put Your Back Into It!)

d6	Inciting Incident

Alone: You joined up with your best friend, sibling, or other loved one, the culmination of a lifelong dream to sail the high seas together. When they died, you lost your taste for the seafaring life. You left at the first opportunity and haven't looked back since. Deserter: It was in the middle of a pirate raid (whether you were part of it or targeted by it) that you realized you no longer yearned for a sailor's life. You used the chaos of the moment to slip away unnoticed. You now work as a hero in an effort to either end the piracy of others or atone for your past deeds, but you fear the day your old crew finds you and punishes you for your desertion. Forgotten: You awoke aboard your ship with no memory of who you were. Though the other sailors insisted they knew you, you didn't know them. The next time you went ashore, you decided to stay, determined to find out who you really are. Jealousy: You had the favor of your captain, which earned you many rivals aboard your ship. One night, your fellow sailors pulled you from your bunk and threw you overboard. By some miracle, you were scooped from the waters by a passing vessel. You worked off your debt to them, then set out on a new life involving less pettiness. Marooned: There was a mutiny, and you were on the losing side. You were marooned on an island and escaped when a merchant vessel was blown off course by a storm and found you. Your reputation is ruined among sailors, so you seek adventure elsewhere. Water Fear: A catastrophic storm hit while you were at sea, destroying your ship and leaving you as the only survivor. Once you recovered, you tried to sign on with another ship, but the thought of the open water turned your legs to jelly. Instead, you've taken on the role of a traveling hero to make ends meet.

Soldier¶

In your formative years, you fought tirelessly in skirmishes and campaigns against enemy forces. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

In which army and company did you serve?
What conflicts were you a part of ?
What rank did you achieve?
What heroics did you perform in the heat of battle?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: One skill from the exploration skill group and one skill from the intrigue group (Quick Build: Alertness, Endurance.)

Languages: Two languages

Renown: +1

Perk: One exploration perk (Quick Build: Teamwork.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Dishonorable Discharge: You enlisted in the military to protect others, but your commander ordered you to beat and kill civilians. When you refused, things got violent. You barely escaped the brawl that ensued, but now you vow to help people on your own terms.
2	Out of Retirement: You had a long and storied career as a soldier before deciding to retire to a simpler life. But when you returned to your old home, you found your enemies had laid waste to it. Now the skills you earned on the battlefield are helping you as you become a different kind of warrior one seeking to save others from the fate you suffered.
3	Peace Through Healing: Living with constant bloodshed took its toll on you. You seek peace through healing and have dedicated yourself to ending wars before they begin, to spare those around you from the horror.
4	Sole Survivor: You were the last surviving member of your unit after an arduous battle or monstrous assault, surviving only through luck. You turned away from the life of a soldier then, seeking to become a hero who could stand against such threats.
5	Stolen Valor: Tired of eking out an existence on the streets, you enrolled in the military. However, you were unable to escape your lower-status background until the officer leading your unit fell in battle. In the chaos that ensued, you assumed their identity and returned home a hero. But when suspicion arose, you took on the life of an adventurer, staying always on the move.
6	Vow of Sacrifice: You promised a fellow soldier that you'd protect his family if he ever fell in battle. When he did, you traveled to his village, but found its people slain or scattered by war. Driven by your vow, you have dedicated your life to finding any survivors and protecting others from a similar fate.

Warden¶

You protected a wild region from those who sought to harm it, such as poachers and cultists bent on the destruction of the natural world. Knowing your land well, you could also serve as a guide or the leader of a rescue party for those wandering the wilds. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

What environment did you protect?
Were you part of a formal group of wardens or did you take the job upon yourself ?
Which animal became your constant companion while you worked in the wild?
What mysterious creature or wanderer did you meet in the forest, and what prophecy did they share with you?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: Nature (from the lore skill group), plus one skill from the exploration group and one skill from the intrigue group (Quick Build: Nature, Navigate, Track.)

Languages: One language

Project Points: 120

Perk: One exploration perk (Quick Build: Camouflage Hunter.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Betrayed: When outsiders arrived in your lands with the intent to exploit the wilds for their resources, you spoke out against them. However, several other wardens spoke in favor of these outsiders, and allowed them in to despoil nature. Refusing to watch your homeland destroyed, you left. Now you help others avoid such a fate.
2	Corruption: A disease has infected the lands you protect, causing animals to become violent and twisting plants into something sinister. You've tried everything, magical and mundane, to stop the scourge, but it continues to spread. As such, you've set out in search of a cure or an unblighted land to protect.
3	Exiled: You made a mistake that could not be forgiven. The other wardens of the region decided your fate, exiling you from your lands with an order never to return.
4	Honor the Fallen: A group of heroes arrived in your territory with trouble close on their heels. You fought alongside them to turn back the evil, but it was too much. The heroes fell, and your wilderness was forever altered. Though your lands are beyond saving, there are other lands you can help.
5	Portents: There were signs. You tried to ignore them, but when a great beast died at your feet, you had to recognize the truth. You were meant to leave your home territory, meant to fight a battle for the fate of all lands—and so you gave up the only life you've ever known.
6	Theft: You were responsible for guarding something precious, something vital to your region's survival. But you let someone in, and they betrayed your trust by stealing the thing you were meant to guard. You left your chosen territory to atone for your mistake.

Watch Officer¶

You served as an officer of the law for a local government. You might have been a single person in a much larger city watch or the only constable patrolling a small village. In defining your career, think about the following questions:

What type of settlement did you protect?
What was your law enforcement style like? Were you a by-the-book officer, a more lenient-but-fair type, or totally corrupt?
What criminal still eludes your grasp to this day?
Whose life did you save in the line of duty?
What is the most absurd call you ever responded to and how did you handle it?

You gain the following career benefits:

Skills: Alertness (from the intrigue skill group), plus two more skills from the intrigue group (Quick Build: Alertness, Search, Track.)

Languages: Two languages

Perk: One exploration perk (Quick Build: Team Leader.)

d6	Inciting Incident
1	Bigger Fish: You grew bored and disillusioned with chasing down petty thieves and imprisoning folks just trying to survive. Surely there are greater threats in the world. You will find that evil wherever it may lurk, and you'll be the one to stop it.
2	Corruption Within: You joined the force to help the helpless and bring justice to those wronged. You weren't prepared for the rampant corruption reaching the top of your organization. You refused to cover for your fellow officers and were told in no uncertain terms to leave town or face the consequences. Now you travel as a hero, acting as the protector you always wanted to be.
3	Frame Job: Your partner was murdered. That much is irrefutable. But you didn't do it, despite what the evidence implies. When it became clear you'd take the fall, you fled, leaving everything behind. Not content to cower in the shadows, you decided to adventure under a new name while you work to clear your own.
4	Missing Mentor: You learned everything you know about the job from someone you always looked up to in a corrupt organization. One night, they sent you a cryptic message saying they had discovered "something big," but before you could find out more, they disappeared. No longer sure who you could trust, you slipped away and sought a new life. Now you do what good you can and search to find the truth.
5	One That Got Away: A violent or depraved criminal began targeting you— perhaps stealing something personal or hurting someone you love—after slipping through your grasp. You left your career to pursue the criminal, but the trail has gone cold … for now. Might as well help folk in the meantime.
6	Powerful Enemies: You made it your responsibility to root out and bring down the region's foremost crime syndicate. They sent goons to burn down your home and teach you a lesson, leaving you bleeding in the street with nothing left except your life. You've since taken on the life of a hero to gain the power and influence you need to destroy the syndicate once and for all.